church buildings council burdens into community assets ...€¦ · • type 1: passive -...
TRANSCRIPT
Church Buildings Council
Burdens into community assets –
new legal and funding options for
our churches
Joseph Elders, Major Projects Officer
Oxton 18th June 2015
Open churchesand Sustainable Churches
Are….
• Open for worship and for visitors during normal working or daylight hours at least, if possible; otherwise clear directions
• Open in the sense of providing a welcoming atmosphere for all, regardless of reason for visiting
• Open for partnership with community and commercial interests, and for cultural, educational and tourism uses
• Open in the sense of providing wherever possible good access for all and modern facilities
Sustainable Churches
Are…
• Environmentally sustainable, striving to meet Shrinking the Footprint targets
• Sustainable in the true sense of conservation, which is “the responsible management of change”
• Socially sustainable, by providing a resource which is accessible and attractive to large sections of the community
• Economically sustainable, in terms of covering the costs of mission and maintenance, while maintaining healthy reserves
The Case of St Germans Priory
St Germans Priory is a local and national treasure with something to offer everyone. The Priory remains at the heart of this vibrant village community and is still the local parish church, but under the stewardship of the St Germans Priory Trust it is increasingly now also used for a variety of cultural, musical and community events. Please feel free to explore this website to find out more.
Better still, come and visit the Priory yourself; enjoy one of our many and diverse events, attend a Service, savour the tranquility, beauty and heritage of the Priory and its surroundings at your own pace.
Alternatively, why not consider using the Priory as a venue for an event of your own? The facilities are ideal for concerts, craft fairs, auctions, cinema and theatrical events, community gatherings, musical recordings or as a location for film and TV. You can probably think of many others. As long as your proposal does not compromise the dignity of the Priory as a place of worship for the local Parish we would be delighted to discuss details.
We look forward to seeing you soon. Come on in.........
Complementary (shared) use
• Much confusion over what is possible
• New legal options available, allowing for specialisation (eg Festival church, fewer services – more on this later)
• Or you might look at a Community, Commercial or Cultural (the 3Cs) complementary use
• Should you try a licence, a lease, close part of the church, or even “close and reboot”?
Legal options for shared use
• Option 1 – use faculty and licence
• Option 2 – use lease for part of building (Trust?)
-------------------------------CLOSURE-----------------------------------
• Option 3 – close part of building, worship no longer primary use.
• Option 4 – “close” building, licence for occasional worship
• Option 5 – “close and reboot” as plant or peculiar
Option 4 - the Case of Toller Deanery
“Keeping these open as pari
Village trusts have been formed to take on two churches in this rural deanery as community buildings occasionally used for worship under licence.
A new option – Festival Church
• Changes being made to Canon B14
• Allows an “open” church to be used as needed, for
example for the Festivals and HMD, subject to Bishop’s
consent
• No need for expensive, time-consuming and fractious
closure process
• Community Trust can lease / manage the building
Trusts – how to gather support
• Type 1: Passive - “Friends” who raise money - informal arrangement
• Type 2: Active - “Friends” who raise money and help with repairs, maintenance, development – formal arrangement
• Type 3: Managing Trust – takes over management of building, usually leasing it from PCC / diocese
Church Development Plan (CDP)
A simple 3-stage process to help churches ‘get started’ with projects which increase community, commercial or cultural uses.
1. Local Audit (Statement of Needs)
2. Options Appraisal (Statement of Significance)
3. Strategic Plan (leading to faculty and funding application)
Where do I find all of this?
The new guidance on Open and Sustainable
Churches is available on
www.churchcare.co.uk
www.churchcare.co.uk
1. Opening Up
• Shops/Markets
• Tourism and welcome
• Post Offices/CABs
• Learning and education
2. Guidance Documents
• CDP, CMP
• Statements
• Friends and Trusts
3. Case Studies
• Community
• Cultural
• Commercial
